1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to archery bows, and more particularly to a bow handle to which a mount for a bow sight is attachable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some archery bows have sights to facilitate aiming of arrows projected therefrom. Such sights have a front portion and a rear portion. The rear portion of the sight usually comprises a string peep mounted to the bowstring. The front portion of the sight (hereinafter referred to as the “sight”) usually comprises one or more sight pins. The sight is attached to a sight mount. The sight mount has mounting holes. The sight mount is attached to a bow handle, or riser, of the bow by two screws through the mounting holes, which engage with two holes located on the outside of the bow window of the riser. The two holes in the riser are 10–24 threaded holes spaced 1.312 inches apart. A line through the axis of the two holes in the riser is parallel to the bowstring. The foregoing specifications are enunciated in an industry standard promulgated by the Archery Trade Association of Salt Lake City, Utah. The industry standard also states that mounting holes in sight mounts should have holes that conform to the foregoing specifications.
Sights that have sight pins that are vertically adjustable within the sight are well known. Also well known are sights that are vertically adjustable with respect to the sight mount. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,350 entitled COMBINATION ARROW QUIVER AND SIGHT SUPPORT MOUNT issued Oct. 6, 1987 to Shepley, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,396 entitled ACCESSORY MOUNT issued Jun. 23, 1992 to Shepley et al., disclose a sight mount that includes a sight bracket segment that has longitudinal slots for mounting the sight at various vertical positions with respect to the sight mount.
Sight mounts that are adjustable horizontally with respect to the riser are also known.
Sight mounts that have a provision on the sight mount for adjusting the sight mount vertically with respect to the riser are well known. One example of such provision includes a plurality of mounting holes in the sight mount. U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,215 entitled ADJUSTABLE BOW SIGHT issued Feb. 17, 1998 to Kenny, et al., has a plurality of spaced-apart, recessed or countersunk apertures for receiving a pair of fasteners, such as screws, to connect the sight mount to the riser. Another example of such provision includes a pair of elongated slots, instead of circular holes for the mounting holes in the sight mount. U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,623 entitled INTERCHANGEABLE SIGHT MOUNT FOR BOWS issued Oct. 14, 1986 to Williams, discloses a sight mount composed of four primary components—including a bow mounting bracket comprising a first leg. The first leg has several mounting slots adapted to receive threaded fasteners for affixing the bow mounting bracket to the riser. The slots are oriented vertically, thereby permitting adjustment of the vertical position of the sight mount with respect to the riser. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2002/0017027 A1; published Feb. 14, 2003, entitled REAR SIGHT ATTACHMENT FOR ARCHERY BOWS by Beshires, discloses a mount for a rear portion only, which has slots that allow the rear portion to be adjustable vertically with respect to the riser.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,297 entitled SCOPE MOUNT FOR ARCHERY issued Nov. 11, 2003 to Brown, Jr., discloses a sight mount comprising three brackets, in which a first bracket is attached to the riser, and a second bracket is vertically adjustable relative to the first bracket by sliding in slots. However, the first bracket is not vertically adjustable relative to the riser.
However, many sight mounts do not have any provision for adjusting the sight mount vertically with respect to the riser. Furthermore, all known risers lack any provision, on the riser, for accepting attachment of the sight mount to more than one vertical position on the riser.
Consequently, all known mounting systems, when used with one of the many sight mounts that lacks any provision for adjusting the sight mount vertically with respect to the riser, allow only a single vertical position at which to use the sight mount. Many archers would prefer to use such non-adjustable sight mounts, but would also prefer to have the ability to choose the vertical position for attachment of the non-adjustable sight mount to the riser. A single attachment position is not suitable for all archers. The attachment position depends, among others things, on the size of the archer and the technique of the archer.
There is a trend for sights and sight mounts to be made smaller. As a result, less space becomes available on the sight and sight mount for a vertical adjustment means.